Graduate Program

Annual Research Funding at Notre Dame Tops $128 Million

Published: September 08, 2016

Author: Brandi Klingerman

The University of Notre Dame has received $128 million in research funding for fiscal year 2016 — the second highest in its history. In fiscal year 2015, the University’s research funding was its highest of all time, reaching $133 million.

“The research, scholarship and creativity of Notre Dame faculty continues to make a difference in multiple ways across our country and around the world,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., the University’s president. “The growth in external funding is a tangible testimony to the importance of their work.”

Of the awards received in fiscal year 2016, 57 percent came from federal funding, with 16 percent from foundations and 15 percent from industry. Other sponsors, including foreign entities, local and state governments and nonprofit organizations, funded the remaining 12 percent.

A $5.8 million grant from the Microelectronics Advanced Research Corp. and the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) for continued support of the Center for Low Energy Systems Technology (LEAST). The project, which is directed by Alan Seabaugh in the College of Engineering, has been awarded more than $28 million since it began in 2014. The wider team of Notre Dame researchers includes Suman Datta, Patrick Fay, Sharon Hu and Michael Niemier.

More than $1 million from Accenture to Tom Hare of the Notre Dame Initiative for Global Development (NDIGD) within the Keough School of Global Affairs to study ecosystems of connectivity, electricity and education for increased entrepreneurship in South Africa and Uganda. Hare collaborates with a team of six researchers from NDIGD, as well as the Departments of Economics and Physics, including Wyatt Brooks, Danice Brown, Kevin Donovan, Terence Johnson and Thomas Loughran.

“This was another strong year for Notre Dame Research and it reflects the talents of our faculty and students,” said Robert J. Bernhard, vice president for research. “Due to their hard work and great achievements, we are celebrating another successful year for research funding and finished strong with the highest month of funding — nearly $23 million in June — in the University’s history.”

For the past three years, Notre Dame has continued its upward trajectory in research funding amounts, showcasing the University’s dedication to becoming one of the world’s preeminent research institutions. To learn more about some of the University’s key areas of historic strength as well as priority investment, visit research.nd.edu/our-research/key-research-areas/.